ENGLISH

Verb Tenses
Verb Tenses

 Totrain the students in correct

usage of verb tenses in English
One of the difficult grammatical areas for ESL/EFL students to
master is the English verb tense-aspect system.

Though many grammatical rules exist that capture the

structural facts concerning the various tense-aspect
combinations.

For instance, in terms of describing the structures involved in

the system, it is well known that English has two tense forms,
present and past. It is equally well known that English speakers
make use of a wide variety of other structures to indicate
futurity (e.g., modals, simple present, present progressive), but
that the modal will is usually assigned to fill the role of the
simple future.

To these, the aspectual markers of perfect and progressive are

added, giving us 12 verb tense-aspect combinations
Indeed, it is very important to recognize that
students’ greatest learning challenge lies in
knowing the difference between the present
perfect and the simple past, or the past perfect
and the simple past.
Identify the error and say what you
think is wrong and why.

 Honesty was the best policy.

 I goes to school.
 I can’t talk to you now; I was working.
 Pedro has arrived last Saturday.
 I meet my friend a long time ago.
There are four present tense forms in
English

Tense Form

Present simple: I work

Present continuous: I am working
Present perfect: I have worked
Present perfect continuous: I have been working
Present simple
The present tense is the base form of the verb
 Use

1. To express general truths/something that is always true; as,

The sun rises in the east.
The adult human body contains 206 bones.

2. To express a habitual action; as,

I play football every weekend.

3. To talk about something that is true in the present:

I’m nineteen years old.
He lives in London.
Exercise
Signal Words
Find the signal words for simple present.

 Which is a signal word for simple present

1. now 2. last Monday 3.often

 Which is a signal word for simple present?

1. sometimes 2.at the moment 3.yesterday

 Which is a signal word for simple present?

 1.last Friday 2.every Friday 3.next Friday
Present Continuous
 is
formed from the present tense of the verb be and the present
participle (-ing form) of a verb:

 Usage

1.Action going on at the time of speaking:

Don’t disturb me. I’m doing my homework.
Please be quiet. The children are sleeping.

2. to show that something is changing, growing or developing:

The children are growing quickly.
Your English is improving.

3. for something which happens again and again:

With reference to a particular habit- something which persists
My dog is very silly; he is always running out into the road.
George is great. He’s always laughing.
NOTE
 Generally we don't use the progressive form with
stative verbs.

that express a state rather than an action. They

usually relate to thoughts, emotions, relationships,
senses, states of being and measurements.

 “ For instance, we do not say, He is being tall" or

"I am wanting spaghetti for dinner" or "It is
belonging to me." (We would say, instead: "He is
tall”, or "I want spaghetti" and "It belongs to me.")
Present continues and Present simple

 We often use the Present continues and Present simple in

stories in informal spoken English to create the impression that
events are happening now.
e.g. She goes up to this man and looks straight into his eyes. He’s not
wearing his glasses, and he doesn't recognize her.

 We also use the Present continues and Present simple in live

commentaries ( for example, on sports events) when the report
takes place at the same time as the action:
King serves to the left-hand court and Adams makes a wonderful
return. She’s playing magnificent tennis in this match.

The Present Simple is often used in newspaper headlines to talk about

events that have recently happened.

Foreign minister resigns Fire Breaks out in hotel room

Scientists find brightest star

THE CATEGORY OF ASPECT IN ENGLISH: THE PROGRESSIVE
FORMS

 http://www.academia.edu/4137014/THE_CA
TEGORY_OF_ASPECT_IN_ENGLISH_THE_PROGR
ESSIVE
Fill in the blanks

1. The chef always__________ (taste) the food

before he serves it.
2. I_________(have) fun today.
3. She_______(not/be) a doctor.
4. They_____(not/have) a car.
5. This coffee_____(not/taste) right.
6. You _________ more shoes than anyone else
I know! (has, having, have)
Past Simple and Present Perfect

In a sentence which includes a time clause with since, we

generally prefer a past simple verb in time clause and a
present perfect verb in the main clause.

e.g. Since Mr Hassan became president, both taxes and

unemployment have increased.

Time expressions, such as this morning week/month and

today, can be used with either past simple or present perfect
verbs.

Compare:
I didn’t shave this morning (the morning is over and I didn’t shave)

I haven’t shaved this morning. (it is still morning and I might shave
later.
Four past tense forms in English

 Tense Form
 Past simple: I worked
 Past continuous: I was working
 Past perfect: I had worked
 Past perfect continuous: I had been working
Past Simple

USE:

1. To indicate an completed action in the past.

Often occurs with adverbs of past time; as,

She left university last year.

I received his letter yesterday.
He died a week ago.

2. To talk about something that was true for some time in the past:
I lived abroad for ten years.
He enjoyed being a student.

3. Something that happened again and again in the past:

When I was a boy I walked a mile to school every day.

We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.
Choose the appropriate verbs from the
box and fill in the gaps in the sentences.
Past Continuous
The past continuous is formed from the past tense of be with the -
ing form of the verb

Use:
1. To talk about an action going on at some time in the past. We
were listening to the radio all evening.
When I saw her, she was playing piano.

2. With verbs which show change or growth:

The children were growing up quickly.
Her English was improving.

Note:
The past continuous and past simple are used together when a new
action happened in the middle of a longer action. Simple past is
used for the new action.
The children were doing their homework when I got home.
Choose the correct verb form
1. It started to rain while we ____ football. (are playing,
had played, were playing)
2. We_____ the Prime Minister yesterday.( seen, has seen,
saw)
3. Don’t disturb me. I ___ my homework.(do, did, am
doing)
4. The principal_____ to speak to you.(is wanting, wants,
want)
5. This paper ___ twice weekly.(appears, is appearing,
had appeared)
6. These grapes______ sour.(are tasting, tastes, taste)
7. I____ a new book last week.(have bought, bought, buy)
Past Continuous and Past Simple
We often use past simple in a narrative to talk about a single
complete past event and the past continuous to describe the
situation that existed at the time.

The event might have interrupted the situation, or happened while

the situation was in progress.

e.g. Erika dropped her bag while she was getting into her car.

When we talk about two or more past completed events that

followed one another, we use the past simple, not the past
continuous , for both.

e.g. He jumped out of bed and ran to see who the parcel was for.

She got up when the alarm clock went off.

PRESENT PERFECT

The present perfect is used to refer to actions which take place in an unfinished time
period up to the time of speaking, and allows the speaker to link past actions or
situations to the present time.

Continuous form :
Actions started in the past which continue until now.
I have been reading this book since morning.

Simple form :
The completed or finished part of a continuous action.
I have read the first three chapters of the book.

Events that have just occurred, with no specific time mentioned.

A plane has just crashed near the coast.

A past action with a result in the present.

I've broken my arm. I can't drive.

Experiences and accomplishments up to now.

I'm a researcher. My research articles have been published in international journals.
Present Perfect Continuous
 FORM

 [has/have + been + present participle]

 Example: You have been waiting here for two hours.

 USE: Duration from the Past Until Now

 We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and has
continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all
durations which can be used with the Present Perfect Continuous.
e.g. They have been talking for the last hour.

 REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs/ Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous
tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous
tenses. Instead of using Present Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use Present
Perfect.

 Examples:

 Sam has been having his car for two years. Not Correct
 Sam has had his car for two years. Correct
Present perfect
FORM: [has/have + past participle]

Example: You have seen that movie many times.

 USE:

1. Unspecified Time Before Now

use to talk about an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The
exact time is not important.

 Can’t use with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last
week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one
day, etc.

 We use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never,
once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet , etc.

e.g. Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.

2. Multiple Actions at Different Times

 We also use the Present Perfect to talk about several different actions which have occurred
in the past at different times. Present Perfect suggests the process is not complete and
more actions are possible.

 Examples:
The army has attacked that city five times.
I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester.

3. An Uncompleted Action You Are Expecting

We often use the Present Perfect to say that an action which we expected has not happened.
Using the Present Perfect suggests that we are still waiting for the action to happen.

 Examples:
James has not finished his homework yet.
 Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate.
 The rain hasn't stopped.

4. for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of speaking

 Examples:
 I can’t get in the house. I’ve lost my keys.
 Teresa isn’t at home. I think she has gone shopping.
5. We often use the present perfect with time adverbials which refer to the recent
past: just, recently
Scientists have recently discovered a new breed of monkey.
We have just got back from our holidays.
or adverbials which include the present: ever (in questions); so far; until now; up
to now; yet (in questions and negatives)
 Have you ever seen a ghost?

 Where have you been up to now?

 Have you finished your homework yet?

 No, so far I’ve only done my history.

WARNING: We do not use the present perfect with an adverbial which refers to past
time which is finished:
 I have seen that film yesterday.

 We have just bought a new car last week.

 When we were children we have been to California.

But we can use it to refer to a time which is not yet finished:

 Have you seen Helen today?

 We have bought a new car this week.

Been or Gone?
 We use the present perfect of be when someone has gone to a
place and returned:

 A: Where have you been?

 B: I’ve just been out to the supermarket.

 A: Have you ever been to San Francisco?

 B: No, but I’ve been to Los Angeles.

 But when someone has not returned we use have/has gone:

 A: Where is Maria? I haven’t seen her for weeks.

 B: She's gone to Paris for a week. She’ll be back tomorrow.
For or Since
 We use For when we measure the duration – when
we say how long something lasts.

 For + a period of time

 I have been studying English for 4 years.

 John has helped me for 8 hours.

 Since gives the starting point of actions, events or

states. It refers to when things began, "from a
point in the past until now".
 I've been waiting since 7 o'clock.
 I have been studying English since 1993
for since
a period a point

for 20 minutes since 9am

for three days since Monday
for 6 months since January
for 4 years since 1997
for 2 centuries since 1500
for a long time since I left school
for ever since the beginning of time

all tenses perfect tenses

Using Since and For

For can be used with all tenses. Here are a few examples:

They study for two hours every day.

They are studying for three hours today.
He has lived in Bangkok for a long time.
He has been living in Paris for three months.
I worked at that bank for five years.
Will the universe continue for ever?

We can't use Since in the simple past tense. Since is normally used with perfect
tenses:

Correct Incorrect
She went to Japan for three
She went to Japan since 2003.
years.
I studied in New Zealand for I studied in New Zealand since
one month. one month.
Choose the correct answer.
 1. Leslie has lived here____ ten years.

 2. I haven't seen you___ last March.

 3. We sat and talked ___ 30 minutes.

 4. Adam studied French ____ nine years.

 5. Caroline has been learning Spanish_____ March 1999.

 6. We haven't had an earthquake____ 23 years.

 7. I haven't heard from you_____ Saturday.

 8. Molly hasn't eaten _____ 7:00 this morning.

 9. He played basketball _____ over 20 years.

 10. Andre hasn't seen Becky ____ yesterday

PAST PERFECT
 If we are already talking about the past, the past perfect
is used to go back to an earlier past time, to refer to
something that had already happened or had been
happening.
 Continuous form :

Continuous actions entirely situated in the past.

 Paul had been revising his English when the postman

rang the doorbell.

 Simple form :

Actions which took place before a specific time in the past.

 When Tom called at 8 am, Paul had already left for

school.
Past Perfect Continuous
 FORM
[had been + present participle]
Example: You had been waiting there for more than two hours
when she finally arrived.

 USE: Duration Before Something in the Past

We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started
in the past and continued up until another time in the past. "For
five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both durations which can be
used with the Past Perfect Continuous.
Note: the duration does not continue until now, it stops before
something else in the past.

e.g. They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived .
Past Perfect (simple form)
 FORM
[had + past participle]
 You had studied English before you moved to New York.
 USE

1. Completed Action Before Something in the Past

 The past perfect tense is most often used for the actions that

happened before a past event

 When I got home yesterday, my father had already cooked

dinner.

 Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?

 I didn't want to go to the movies with my friends because I had

seen the film already.
Use of a variety of structures to
indicate futurity
Present tense to talk about the future

 Simple present: can be used to talk about scheduled

future (fixed timetable or fixed programmes)

 Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about

scheduled events in the future. This is most commonly
done when talking about public transportation, but it
can be used with other scheduled events as well.

Examples:
 The school term starts next week.

 The train leaves at 4 pm.

 The flight arrives at 5pm this evening.

Present continuous to talk about
future
 to talk about arrangements for events at a time later than now (something
which has been arranged or planned)

Examples:

 I'm meeting Jim at the airport = Jim and I have discussed this.
 Tomorrow afternoon I am visiting my grandmother.
 My uncle is arriving next week.

NOTE: The simple present is used when a future event is part of a programme
or time-table.

Notice the difference between:

a. We're having a staff meeting next Monday = just that once

b. We have a staff meeting every Monday.
 We use the present simple, not will, to refer to the future-

 in time clauses with conjunctions such as after, as soon as, before,

by the time, when, while, until:

e.g. When you see Dave, tell him he still owes me some money.

 In conditional clauses with if, in case, provided and unless:

e.g. I’ll bring some sandwiches in case we don’t find anywhere

decent to eat.

 When we talk about possible future events with suppose and what
if at the beginning of a sentence.

e.g. Suppose we miss the bus-how will we get home?

What if the train is late? Where shall I meet you then?
Will and be going to
 We use will rather than be going to to make a prediction based
on our opinions or experience.

e.g. Why not come over at the weekend? The children will enjoy
seeing you again.

 We often prefer to use be going to in informal contexts to talk

about something that is planned.

e.g. Where are you going to stay in Berlin?

We use be going to rather than will when we make a prediction

based on some present evidence.

The sky has gone really dark. There’s going to be storm.

 We use will when we make a decision at the
moment of speaking and be going to for
decisions about the future that have already
been made.

I’ll pick him up. ( an offer, making an

arrangement now)
I’m going to collect the children at 8.00. (this
was previously arranged.